Safety in the Shower

The best part of being in the design/build industry is that you can make a difference in someone's life.  We often work on projects that are very helpful to people and this shower floor installation is a good example of one of those projects.

Take a look at the shower to your right.  It's pretty typical.  In fact you  may even have one in your house that you use everyday.  And you may not even think about having to step down a few inches into the shower.  

However, for someone in the 3rd stage of life that action could be a safety hazard.  This happens to be the shower of a very classy, witty and charming 80+ year old.  And that step down became an issue for her.

This bath already had safety items in place such as the grab bar along the back wall.  The Saltillo tile in the bathroom can get slippery when wet so strips were placed strategically for gripping to prevent sliding or even worse falling  but stepping down into the shower was still an issue and that's where we entered the picture.

The next picture is the solution.  When you think of wood in the bath you naturally think of teak.  Teak is beautiful but it is also in short supply which makes it expensive.  For this floor we used Ipe.  It has the same properties as teak meaning it can handle the moisture well.  Ipe is heavier than teak though. An access piece was needed so that you could reach the drain to clean when necessary. 

The last picture has it installed in the shower.  The inside is now more even with the outside. It's a great look and very functional as well.